We need functioning infrastructure—every day. Nevertheless, for a long time, this was a topic that few people were interested in. That is now changing. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become clear how much we rely on infrastructure such as healthcare, communication networks, and the supply of water, electricity, and food in our private and public lives. The pandemic has suddenly put public infrastructure high on the political and social agenda.
But regardless of this, it has long been clear that important infrastructure decisions will have to be made in the coming years. How we design our infrastructure today will have a decisive impact on how we live tomorrow: whether it's bike paths or roads, copper cables or fiber optic networks, wind energy or coal power—every decision in favor of a particular infrastructure is like a contract with the future.
This is where the Heinrich Böll Foundation's Infrastructure Atlas comes in. It illustrates the state of infrastructure in Germany. Above all, however, the atlas highlights what infrastructure should achieve, how it can be designed sustainably, and how it can be improved in the long term for the benefit of all.
Please note that this is a publication in German. For an English equivalent, click here.